Communities drilled in gender issues

Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (Cadecom) has drilled communities in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chilowamatambe in Kasungu District in gender equality.

Speaking on Saturday during the training, Cadecom field officer Aubrey Divala said they want to promote equal participation of men and women in development projects.

“We believe that progress happens faster where both men and women are working together. So, we conducted the training to help communities understand the need to adhere to gender equality,” he said.

Kasungu district gender officer Humphrey Longwe thanked Cadecom for the training, saying it will empower women and men to work together in projects.

Mpakama Cooperative chairperson Joyce Phiri said the training, dubbed Gender Transformative Approach, cleared gender misconceptions previously considered as norms in the area.

“We thank Cadecom for the training. We now realise that we were far behind on gender issues. Previously, we separated men and women when implementing development projects,” she said.

Cadecom is implementing Enhancing Access to Profitable and Inclusive Agriculture Markets for Smallholder Farmers in Malawi Project at Mtunthama and Chamama extension planning areas in the district with funding from the Government of Flanders through Oxfam in Malawi.